What's Mine and What's Yours
by ravarath
Summary: Discontinued. On a mission gone haphazardly wrong, the members of Team 7 assert and strengthen what is theirs alone and no one else's. Yaoi, SasuNaru, KakaIru.
1. 1: Perception

"You're kidding." Naruto gaped at their silver-haired teacher. "Kakashi-sensei, are you serious?"  
  
The older man nodded and shifted his weight to his left leg, all while calmly browsing through the pages of Icha Icha Paradise. "Of course. Apparantly, the other teams are out and we're the only ones available for a mission."  
  
Sakura stretched languidly, hopping to her feet. "So, shouldn't we be going? The Hokage-sama wouldn't like being kept waiting."  
  
"But Sakura-chaaan! I wanted to stop for some ramen!" The kitsune whined, pouting jokingly as the pink-haired girl frowned.  
  
"Dobe, a missions's more important." Sasuke got up as well, ignoring the blond boy's exasperated look.  
  
"This sucks!"  
  
Brushing back light-pink locks, Sakura stared anticipatedly up at the cloud-dotted sky.  
  
Team Seven had a class B mission. Hopefully it wasn't mediocre like retrieving a cat.

* * *

Reaching into a pocket, the elderly man withdrew a small photograph and placed it in front of the four ninjas gathered around him. "Your assignment is a simple search and retrieve one. Find this woman and bring her back to Konohagakure for imprisonment." At Sakura's appalled and questioning look, the Hokage nodded definitely. "There's been word that something is roaming the countryside, terrorizing and injuring anyone who tries to stop it. So far, no one has been killed, but severe injuries have been reported. The attacks started about 2 months ago, the same time that this woman escaped captivity from a nearby village." He paused here, looking gravely at Kakashi. "So I'm asking your team to apprehend her. But be very careful, we don't have very much information regarding the suspect."  
  
As they started to leave, the Hokage cleared his throat discreetly. "Kakashi-sensei, if I may have a word?"  
  
Looking back at his lingering team, the white-haired shinobi coughed hintingly. In apparent disappointment, Sakura, Sasuke, and Naruto trudged outside dutifully. "Yes, Lord Hokage?"  
  
The old man sighed, scratching his chin sagely. "I'm going to be frank with you, Kakashi. The three other teams that have been sent after that woman haven't fared well. Two came back empty-handed, while the other disappeared for months before returning quite shaken. But, your team is quite an exceptional one, and I do think you all stand a pretty good chance against her."  
  
Kakashi looked curiously down at the photo before picking it up deftly. Black hair, black eyes. And skin as pale as the moon. Looked more like a vampire, one that possessed an almost haunting beauty. "What's so dangerous about her? And why was she imprisoned?"  
  
"Kanashimi Tanjou is her name, but there's little information after that. The reason for her imprisonment however, is classified information." As the leader of Team Seven turned to leave, the Hokage added a parting bit of information. "Keep a sharp eye out, Hatake. Rumors say she wields an unorthodox brand of ninjutsu."

* * *

"Are we there yet?" For the millionth time that morning, Naruto's whine cut through the silence of the forest. His impatience only increased when no one answered. "We don't even know where we're going! What kind of mission is this? Wandering around the countryside?!"  
  
"Naruto, shut up!" Losing her temper, Sakura whirled around, a fist poised and ready to strike.  
  
"Shh!" Their sensei had stopped dead in his tracks, kunai already between his fingers. He turned his head slightly to the side, eyes trained forward. "Sasuke, did you hear that?"  
  
The Uchiha nodded, eyes glancing side to side. "Yes. Something is nearby..."  
  
Naruto glanced back and forth, and then in every direction. 'Now this is more like it.' He smirked. The long day of trekking had been mundane, to put it bluntly, and he was quite ready for some action. A quick glance at Sasuke informed him the other boy felt the same. The Uchiha stood ready in a graceful stance, the normally impassive face glimmering with a faint anticipating grin.  
  
However, he dropped his position a few minutes later. A small perplexed scowl tugged at his lips, and the raven-haired youth turned to their instructor. "It's gone. I thought I felt some faint chakra, but it disappeared.."  
  
Kakashi narrowed his eyes towards the forest nearby, quickly becoming dark as the sun set. "Hmm..." With a sudden burst of brightness, the silver-haired nin continued walking, the single visible eye arched in nonchalant demeanor. "Oh well. Keep walking."  
  
Behind him, Sakura and Naruto gawked at his abrupt change in attitude. "But..." The nervous girl glanced behind then. "...what WAS it?" She whispered.  
  
Looking ahead, the kitsune noticed their sensei and the Uchiha already about threescore paces ahead. "Oi! Wait up!"

* * *

"So...what do you think it was that we sensed earlier?" Poking a small stick into the dying fire, the blond-haired boy looked to the male seated next to him."Hn..." He glanced towards the tent where Kakashi and Sakura had retired to about a half an hour ago, leaving the two boys on guard duty.

"Because for a second, I thought I felt something...strange..it was weird...it felt..." His voice softened, unable to find a word to describe the event.

"..evil?" The Uchiha finished for him. At Naruto's surprised look, he nodded. "I felt that too.."


	2. 2: Possessive Avenger

Up.

Wake up.

Snapping open his drooping eyelids, Sasuke glanced to the side at his blond-haired teammate. Smirking, he noted Naruto's quiet snores and a small bit of drool seeping out from the corner of his lips.

His lovely lips.

Perfectly pink; warm and soft and-

Shaking his head, Sasuke mentally berated himself. He couldn't be thinking that. It'd be embarrassing if the ninja had caught him staring. Sneaking another glance, the Uchiha then allowed himself a very quiet sigh. And yet, he found a sort of fulfillment in being around the hyperactive ninja. Everything about him was just so starkly different from everyone else he knew.

Sakura, for example, was nice of course. But she practically gushed bubbly infatuation like a water hose. And was constantly fawning over him, finding no fault within the raven-haired boy at all. Sometimes, it just made even the mighty Uchiha cringe...

And that went for just about every other pubescent female in Konohagakure. They had him chained to a dais, and spewed a relentless amount of oblivious praise and poorly-hidden obsession.

Not Naruto.

Loud, and obnoxious, and even rude a lot of the times. He exuded boundless energy, topped off with a confident and almost-nonchalant grin. A sunny disposition that endured through everything life had thrown at him...through all the injustices heaped upon the kitsune's shoulders.

Sasuke had seen through that brightly-colored mask once. Just once. It'd been after a particularly harsh berating by their pink-haired teammate. As the kitsune had turned away, the Uchiha was surprised to see his façade falter for a brief moment. But it was in that short second that Sasuke found a mirroring of his own inner turmoils.

Pain.

Dejection.

And loneliness. So much loneliness.

As quickly as it had slipped through, the brief vent vanished, squelched by a carefree attitude carefully practiced and implemented through the years. But that glimpse had been enough for the raven-haired boy. After that, the hyperactive ninja would surface in his thoughts constantly. Pervasive, almost suffocating thoughts.

But it was an inner dying that actually helped him live anew. His own problems, hates and dislikes didn't seem so individual now.

Naruto, like him, suffered from true pain as well. And he understood it, and still put effort into living. For that, Sasuke admired him. It gave them an affinity no one else had.

Stirred feelings within the young avenger's heart that no one else could.

It was half a year ago that he realized this. At first, the boy had been appalled. It was taboo, it was frowned upon, and it was wrong to love another boy. But Naruto...Naruto wasn't just another boy.

They were alike in so many ways, and he'd never realized it before.

"Okay, we'll take over from here." The silver-haired Jounin had noiselessly appeared behind them, and cast a slightly amused look over the slumbering Naruto. "Drag him to the tent you're sharing, hm?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes, ignoring his sensei's perverted chuckle. As Sakura slipped sleepily towards the low fire, the Uchiha picked up the smaller boy, hooking an arm under his knees. He brushed off the kuinochi's shocked expression, slipping into the tent's dark recesses and gently laying the kitsune down on his bed roll. He faintly heard Sakura's annoyed comment to Kakashi: "We have three tents! How come Sasuke and I couldn't share?"

Hesitating for a moment, Sasuke ran a tentative finger through the sun-colored locks. After a glance back confirmed the other two couldn't see, he leaned in close.

"Good night... dobe.." He added the familiar insult on reflex. But then his gaze softened. "...MY dobe..." A surge of possessiveness went through the dark-haired youth, as the other shifted slightly in his sleep.

"Hm..." Naruto murmured sleepily. "Don't call me that..." His lips formed a small satisfied smile as he drifted into a deeper slumber. "...Sasuke-kun..."


	3. 3: No One Else's to Touch

A/N: wow, I got more reviews than I expected! Thanks to you all! There's 9 so far, so I'm able to respond to them without taking up too much room for this chapter.

Midnight- hehe, thank you! I'm glad you think it's kawaii!

Lady of Gryffindor- awww, thank you! I hope you have a good day tomorrow!

Kyuubi-chan- indeed. He seems very possessive! btw, I love your story, "I Bleed Black"!

lemmings12- thanks! I'm glad the first part was enticing. ; Sasuke is kinda hard to do..

LittleDarkOne- I know, cliffhangers are evil I'll update quickly to kill suspense.

Renn- thank you!

Kami Beverly- hehehe, Sasuke is so astute.

ghostninja85- thanks a lot! I'll try not to disappoint.

Zaeria- Thanks! I just adore sasunaru and kakairu!

And on to the story! I'll try to have more action in this one. The last one was mostly about Sasuke...;;

* * *

With a loud and overexagerrated yawn, Naruto frowned at the barely lit sky. "Why do we have to travel so early? I'm still tired!"

Their sensei seemed not to have heard at all, his attention divided evenly between walking....and his dirty book.

Sakura however, turned grumpily to her teammate. "Naruto, shut up! You should've gotten more sleep last night then!"

At this, the blond smirked at the other boy of Team 7. "Hmph. I would've, 'cept Sasuke-teme snores waaay too loudly!"

Sasuke hid an amused smirk, merely looking ahead. His devoted female teammate, however, did not take this comment so lightly.

"Oww!!"

"Naruto-baka! That's what you get for making fun of Sasuke-kun!" She glowered at the fuming blond, then glanced affectionately towards the impassive Uchiha.

Rather than get hit again, the kitsune moved away from the tempermental ninja, and opted instead to walk a few paces behind the Uchiha. After a few minutes of nothing but walking, his lips widened into a grin again, hands held behind his head. "Hey, on our way back, we should race! I'll run much faster than Sasuke-teme, and then..." He paused to think up a good incentive. "..he can buy me ramen and-"

Abruptly, the raven-haired boy stopped dead in his tracks, swiftly turning around. Unfortunately, Naruto did not notice quite in time, plowing right into the alert and surprised Uchiha; resulting in...

...A repeat of that fateful day in the Academy.

The kitsune seemed too shock for words. An indescribable thrill seemed to tingle up his spine, before the reality of it all fell on him.

He'd kissed Sasuke.

Again.

He pulled back a bit, then glanced towards their sensei. Surprisingly, he had turned as well, but his one visible eye was not happy at all. It gazed over their heads and past them, back towards where they had come from. Sakura had done the same as well, her back facing the two stunned boys.

With a hasty and embarrassed apology, Naruto moved himself away from Sasuke."S-Sorry...I..."

"Not now..." While he allowed himself a brief moment of satisfaction, Sasuke nodded his head towards the forest behind them.

"Huh?"

"Didn't you feel that?"

Their sensei spoke up then. "Something's coming this way." His eye narrowed, one hand pointed roughly towards an outcropping of rocks and shrubs. "Behind those. Now!" He barked curtly, extracting a pair of shuriken from his pockets.

Even Naruto knew better than to argue with the Jounin in the mood he was in now. With a furtive glance over his shoulder, he leapt over a small boulder and landed between his two teammates.

"What do you think it is?" Sakura whispered nervously. She peeked over the rocks at the silver-haired ninja standing poised in the road.

Creeping away from the other two, Naruto crawled steathily to the edge of the outcropping, squinting into the distance. He could feel it now, faint wisps of chakra. But like before, it was hard to pinpoint. And like the previous day, it felt distinctly evil.

He winced, when a lance of heat flashed through his belly. It was gone in an instant, but a single thought was able to reach the kitsune's mind.

Kyuubi liked the evil chakra he was sensing.

"What is it?" Sasuke was suddenly at his side, gazed locked to where Naruto had a hand over his stomach.

"Nine-Tales...I don't know why..but it reacted to that chakra we're sensing.." He scanned the forest line again. He could've sworn he saw movement..Turning, Naruto noticed Sasuke already started to perfom a few seals. "What are you doing?!"

The slim fingers gracefully and quickly formed the necessary motions for a simple fire-jutsu, instantly setting a small shrub ablaze. "Shut up and watch." He hissed.

For a few minutes, the bush burned a cheerful and bright blend of orange, yellow, and crimson. The blond averted his gaze, feeling the glimmer of malevolent energy again. "I think it's closer.."

"Look."

Turning his head back towards the crackling fire, Naruto gasped in alarm.

The fire had turned blue.

"W-What? Why'd it do that? What does it mean?" He turned to the stoic youth next to him.

In slow measured sentences, Sasuke grit out an explanation, a bit of apprehension slipping through his calm appearance. "Fire always burns regularly, even with jutsus and chakra use. But...it only turns blue in one instance: if an evil entity is nearby."

Turning backs towards the road, Naruto frowned. "Kakashi-sensei might be in trouble.." He blinked. "Wait..it's gone. I can't feel it any more." Gesturing towards their other teammate, he nodded towards the slightly relaxed Jounin. "C'mon. Let's go."

Wariness still apparent in their expressions, the three rookies jogged quickly back to their instructor. "Sensei?"

The Jounin looked slightly perplexed. "The other presence I sensed is gone...but someone else is coming. It's familiar....I think it's.." He started walking towards it. "Iruka."

Sure enough, the pony-tailed chuunin rounded the bend in the road at a light dash, waving when he spotted the other four nin.

"Iruka-sensei!" When the chuunin was close enough, Naruto promptly leapt and hugged the taller man. Sasuke smirked when he instantly started to launch into a boast, fast enough so he only caught "great tracking skills" and "saved Sasuke's ass".

The mood of all instantly became more relaxed; and was that...a blush on Kakashi's face?? Sasuke quirked an eyebrow. It was hard to say for sure as a result of that mask.

Smiling fondly at the energetic ninja, Iruka hurriedly extricated himself. "You can tell me all about it later. Right now," he turned towards the Jounin. "Hokage-sama sent me to recall your team back home, Kakashi-sensei."

"What?" Sakura frowned.

"Why'd he do that? Does he think we're not capable??" Naruto snorted indignantly.

"No, no. He said they'd received new information, and this is now a class A mission. Your team is not qualified enough for it." He looked pointedly at Kakashi.

"Okay!" The Jounin smiled cheerily. "Let's go back then."

* * *

"Man...this sucks..." Kicking a pebble moodily, Naruto continued to mumble darkly.

The three of them walked out in front, with Kakashi and Iruka striding behind. With the failing light, Kakashi had put away his orange novel, eyes arched in happiness at an unknown reason.

"So is Naruto doing well on your team?" The chuunin queried, looking fondly towards the youth walking next to Sasuke.

"Hm..." Kakashi placed palm on his chin, thinking for a moment. "Well, he certainly tries." Chuckling, he patted the smaller man amiably. "He does mess up quite a lot, but always perseveres. You taught him well."

At the compliment, the Academy instructor instantly felt his cheeks heat up. "Oh, t-thank you, Kakashi-sensei." He fell into an embarrassed silence, which served only to amuse the older man even more.

"Are you blushing, Iruka?" He laughed lightly when the other's pink cheeks instantly turned a bright red.

"N-No! I mean...Y-Yes...no! I meant..." He spluttered nervously, in a frazzle by his comment.

Sasuke, Naruto and Sakura looked back at the sound of Kakashi's loud chortles. Smirking, Sasuke murmured to Naruto. "I think Kakashi's interested in Iruka-sensei."

The blond-haired ninja scowled at their teacher. "That perverted bastard better not do anything to him."

Sakura gagged, waving her hand in exaggerrated disgust. "Ewww...that's wrong!"

Her words touched a chord within the normally quiet boy. "What's so wrong about that?" He snarled with more malice than necessary.

Shocked and taken aback, Sakura laughed tensely. "Well...that'd mean they're gay right? And well that's...." She hesitated, obviously intimidated by the dark glares she was getting from Sasuke.

"That's what, Sakura?"

Clutching her hands together, Sakura managed a worried giggle. "Well...I don't know...I mean..you're not gay, right? So it should be-"

"And if I was?"

"I-I...you couldn't be! I mean...well...but-"

With an angry growl, the Uchiha sped up his pace, struggling to contain his rage.

How dare she...how dare she even judge them like that! And about Iruka-sensei, too. A perfectly good person, who had shown generosity and kindness to each of them...

"Sasuke?"

Glancing to the side, he grunted to acknowledge Naruto's query. "Yeah?"

Naruto smiled crookedly back at him. "So is he nice?"

Barely suppressing a flush, he didn't meet the kitsune's curious stare. "Who?"

"This guy you like." Naruto tucked his arms behind his head, turning a forlorn gaze up at the quickly darkening sky.

"I didn't say I-"

"Heh. You like him enough to yell at Sakura-chan about it." Naruto smirked then, but it soon softened into a genuine smile.

That was true, Sasuke agreed inwardly. Then he sighed, shaking his head slightly. "You like Sakura a lot, don't you?"

"You're dodging the question."

"So. Now I'm asking you one."

The blond grinned at that, looking at the Uchiha knowingly. "Nothing for nothing. hm?" Pausing a moment, Naruto shrugged. "Well...I guess when we first started to be a team..yeah, I did like her." He shook his head sadly. "Infatuated, I guess. But bit by bit, I guess I got tired of it being unrequited. I bother her more out of habit these days. Besides.." Naruto whispered lowly towards his teammate. "She can be a downright bitch sometimes."

Practically snorting at the bluntness of the statement, Sasuke shook his head as well "Took you long enough to figure that out."

For a few moments, the two shared a quiet laugh, light enough to momentarily shut out the woes of the world.

Before a piercing, anguished scream sliced through the twilight, shattering the tranquility in an instant.

Clutching the stunned chuunin to his chest, Kakashi immedietly launched a swift barrage of shurikens into the dark foliage. He leapt back after throwing the weapons, an arm securely wrapped around Iruka's waist. "Iruka? Iruka, wake up!" Glancing back towards his students, Kakashi shouted to the approaching three. "Stay back! I don't know what it is yet!"

Sasuke scowled. There it was again, the evil chakra...it was somewhere nearby and..

He whirled around quickly as a black-clad figure landed not ten paces behind them

"Sensei!!" Sakura's frightened screech reached his ears, and Kakashi darted back towards them.

Eyes darker than the night stared back at him, and the Uchiha snarled, whipping two kunai into his hands. "Stay. BACK."

It was obviously a woman, most of her body hidden in the folds of her jet-black kimono. Equally black hair flowed smoothly from her head, tied back with a grey strip of cloth. Her eyes glittered menacingly and starkly against snow-white skin, ignoring the raven-haired boy's command.

"There you are, demon!" Without warning, she launched herself at Naruto, two kamas suddenly in hand. The curved blades glinted dully as she raked then forward, towards the blond shinobi.

"Naruto!!" Sakura covered her eyes, waiting for the inevitable.

"I won't repeat myself..." Sasuke glared definatly up at the woman's night-flecked eyes, only inches away from his own. The two knives gripped in his hands had clashed with his opponent's weapons, keeping them from touching the blond-haired kitsune. "Stay away from Naruto!"

"You don't understand!" She snarled back. "It must be-"

"And we really don't care." Kakashi was suddenly behind her, a dealt a quick blow to the side of her head to knock her out. But before the blow connected, the air between his hand and its target shimmered a faintly blue. Instantly, his attack was stopped, paused in mid-air. "What-"

He pulled his hand back as a kunai fly through the air, targeted for her face. Iruka tottered unsteadily on his feet, about thirty paces away. Rubbing his aching head, he pulled out another kunai; his aim had been off.

Seizing the opportunity, Sasuke pushed the woman backwards, and ducked to launch a low, sweeping kick. Leaping above him, Naruto threw a handful of shurikens, before also initiating a physical attack.

But like Kakashi, Sasuke was also repelled by the same invisible energy. Naruto, however, had better luck.

"Ugh....." She recoiled from the hard blow to her stomach, jumping back a good distance. At first, it looked like she'd attack again. But in a flash, she'd dropped to her knees, hacking out crimson-colored fluid onto the road.

"Hah, that's what you get, you hag!" The kitsune resumed a fighting stance, weapons at ready. "Did better than Kakashi!"

Sasuke felt realization dawn.

Kakashi.

He'd disappeared.

* * *

Breaths coming in short laboured pants, Iruka scrabbled at outcroppings of rocks, tree limbs, plants, anything. But the creature that had seized his legs seemed to possess ungodly strength, determined to carry the chuunin away from his fellow shinobi. They were moving at an incredibly fast speed, sharp twigs and stones whipping at the chuunin's body. Wincing, he tried to reach for his shuriken holster again, but a black, long-clawed paw slapped his hand away, never slowing in its relentless pace.

A shock of silver hair caught his eye, flitting through the treetops. Iruka would've sighed in relief, were it not for his current predicament.

Narrowing his eyes, the Jounin put on a burst of speed. What WAS that thing that'd suddenly seized Iruka? The others had been distracted by the woman's appearance, and only Kakashi heard the chuunin's whimper for help.

He mentally kicked himself for having left Iruka unattended. Then he kicked himself again. He'd left his students behind with that woman. But she couldn't be too much of a threat, he thought warily. There'd be no trace of chakra around her, even when she attacked. Surely Sasuke and Naruto could handle her.


	4. 4: My Demon, Not Yours

A/N: Hehehehe..I really should be working on my AP packets...but I love reading fanfiction! The stories I keep an eye on haven't been updated yet, so I'll take some time out to type.  
  
reviews:  
  
InuAce- hehe, thank you! I just adore SasuNaru! (Sakura kinda annoys me............)  
  
SexySiriusBlack- wow, thank you for the compliment! It brightened up my day!  
  
Isolde1- I'll try to update quicky, don't worry!  
  
insanechildfanfic- thanks so much!  
  
miko- thanks! Eh, I don't like her either. Come to think of it, I think I only like the guys in Naruto..''  
  
izumi- heheh, yes, I remember that! I love LOTR! (Legolas...drools....) And this is actually a piece of legend that's written in a lot of books, e.g. Bram Stoker's 'Dracula' and some of John Bellair's books (I forgot the exact title..) Lit candles supposedly turn blue when a purely evil presence is nearby.  
  
Additionally, I do plan to write lemons for this story. (I don't think yaoi stories are complete with out them...;. But since doens't allow it, I've made a DeviantArt account just for it: gekkabijin.deviantart. com (without the spaces.) So later, i'll put them there.  
  
Onward to ze story!

* * *

It was obviously masking its chakra.  
  
"But not very well..." The silver-haired Jounin murmured to himself. Its exact shape and appearance was inperceptable in the darkness.  
  
It was fast. And Unbelieveably so.  
  
Luckily, he could pinpoint its general location by concentrating on it's prisoner's aura. He could still hear the loud crashes and thumps as his two targets went plowing through the bramble. Iruka was trying his best to slow the beast down, but nothing seemed to stop it for long. So, the chuunin had resorted to shouting at the top of his lungs, helping his would-be-saviour in anyway he could.  
  
Kakashi cringed as their mysterious foe suddenly halted for a split second. In one fluid and cat-like motion, it reached out and struck the poor chuunin across the head, knocking him out cold.  
  
Bastard.  
  
In an angry flick of his wrist, the Jounin took out another handful of shuriken, raining them down towards the creature. He instantly regretted it, as it only sped off even faster.  
  
Calm down..  
  
Sucking in a soothing breath, the silver-haired shinobi took off after his quarry once more. He knew this part of the country well. And is he wasn't mistaken, they'd be nearing a steep ravine soon. Nowhere left to run for the pursued.  
  
Bringing gloved hands together, Kakashi quickly performed a few fluid hand motions, nodding to the three shadow clones that appeared beside him, also hurtleing through the high branches. Barking out a quick command, the three instantly shot ahead and around.  
  
Iruka and his captor were heading towards and upward slope, which would slow them down. The clones he sent could take the downward trails, and then scale the steep ascent with chakra, cutting them off.  
  
With a quick prayer that the chuunin was okay, Kakashi put on another burst of speed.

* * *

"Who are you?" Sasuke held the kunai up to her throat, Naruto behind the kneeling woman, ready to attack if necessary. "And why did you attack us?"  
  
The dark-haired woman scowled fiercely at the Uchiha, raising a hand to wipe away a streak of blood from her lips. Her only answer was a low growl.  
  
"Sasuke." Sakura approached tentively. "I think I know who she is." She gestured at the aggressive female. "She's the same woman in the photo Hokage-sama showed us. Kakashi-sensei said her name was...Kanashimi, I think..."  
  
Naruto raised an eyebrow. "This was the person we were supposed to bring back?"  
  
"You....You can, speak?" The woman in question had turned towards Naruto. "B-But...how?"  
  
Sasuke smirked for a moment, before Naruto started roaring in indignance. "WHAT THE HELL IS THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN?!?!?!"  
  
The raven-haired boy placed a hand on Naruto's shoulder, preventing the kitsune from attacking her outright. Surprisingly, the blond blushed very slightly, so only Sasuke saw. "H-Hai...."  
  
"Y-You're not...?" Before any of them could move, Kanashimi had grabbed grabbed the blond-haired boy's hand. Raising it to her face, she sniffed delicately. "W-What...??" She looked straight up into his face. "You smell of a demon...but not...the Hsien..."  
  
The action caused the Uchiha to growl lowly in warning, and she dropped his hand, hanging her head. "I-I....." She sighed. "I apologize. I mistook your friend for someone else..." Rising to her feet, she started towards the forest. But instantly stopped as Naruto appeared before her.  
  
"Wait." He stood defiantly in front of her.  
  
She shook her head. "Get out of my way. You don't know what's out there."  
  
But he shook his head as well. "We were sent out here to capture you, but then it turns out you're too 'dangerous' for us." At this he snorted, as if it were a joke. "Now two of our sensei are out there, and I bet I'm right when I say it's probably YOUR fault." The kitsune edged closer. "And I'll kill you with my bare hands if anything happens to Iruka-sensei. So you better tell us what's going on, and why people are after you. Either way, we're not letting you out of our sights."  
  
Through his entire speech, Sasuke had been examining the woman head to toe. She probably was concealing a myriad of weapons underneath her clothing. There was a good chance she could fight her way out from their supervision. However, one thing still puzzled him.  
  
She had no chakra, none at all, anywhere around her. Yet, she had been able to repel Kakashi's attack, as well as his own.  
  
It was something more than just simple Taijutsu.  
  
As Kanashimi seemed to hesitate for a few minutes, the Uchiha closed his eyes for a moment, before snapping them open again a second later. Blood-red eyes gazed over the woman again, the Sharingan wheel spinning menacingly.  
  
Colors.  
  
She had too many colors around her.  
  
It was definitely not chakra. There were too many hues for that! And its shades didn't stay constant, actually changing from second to second, to every color of the rainbow. Furthermore, while some of it originated from her body, a great deal of the rest seemed to be channeled in from the world itself. Wisps and strands of the same iridescent substance, curling and spiraling lazily from trees, rocks, even the grass, and focused into Kanashimi's body.  
  
To his alarm, the once lazily-moving wisps suddenly all shot at him, in an angry, raging whorl. She had turned, a hand outstretched and directing whatever it was towards him. Acting on instinct, he braced himself, focusing all the chakra he could into his arms shielding his face. It was like being struck with a wave of water, pushing him back, down, and suffocating him at the same time.  
  
"Sasuke!" Angrily, Naruto pulled a kunai to her throat. "What are you doing?! Leave him alone!" His free hand struck her belly again, and she crumpled with a yowl to the ground. Instantly, Sasuke felt the pressure relent, and blessed air came rushing back. "Sakura, watch her!" Bounding over to the Uchiha, the kitsune dropped to his knees. "Sasuke...are you alright?" Worried, his fingers seemed to move on their own accord, and lightly, slowly, brushed the dark locks of hair. Turning a light pink, Naruto lowered his palm.  
  
A hand was rested hesitantly on his shoulders, and Sasuke smiled up at those concerned blue eyes. "Yeah...I think..." He took the hand the blond offered, and got quickly to his feet. For a few moments, the two were startlingly close, hands still linked, and...was that a blush on Naruto's cheeks?  
  
"Heh...let your guard down?" The normally hyperactive ninja was suddenly shy, and looking at his feet as if they were the most interesting things in existance.  
  
"Yeah...guess I did.." Glancing at the woman, with Sakura standing nervously over her, he tightened his hold on the kitsune's hand possessively.  
  
"Sasuke..?" The blond started slightly at the action, but didn't move away. "I-" A groan of pain alerted them both, as Kanashimi attempted to get up. "Er..." He scowled. "Y-You better not have injured Sasuke, you hag!" He added in a shout, turning back to the Uchiha.  
  
Smirking, the mentioned boy whispered quietly. "Protective of you.."  
  
His smirk was returned with a smug grin, eyes shining merrily. "Coming from the guy who still has my hand in a death grip."  
  
"Hm...."  
  
"Uh...Sasuke? Naruto?" Sakura called out tensely from her position over the unsteady woman. "What do we do with her?"  
  
Sasuke caught the whispered "We'll talk later", before he was tugged forward and back towards the two females.  
  
Crouching warily, Naruto tapped the ground impatiently. "Why'd you attack him?"  
  
"I..." She pushed up slightly with one arm. "felt something distrupt the rei fields...I thought it was an attack..."  
  
Naruto looked up at the boy next to him. "Sharingan?" Acknowledging the curt nod, the blond-haired boy tapped the ground again. "It wasn't an attack. He was examining your abilities." with a wave of his hand, he indicted more pressing matters at hand.  
  
"You mentioned a 'hsien' earlier. What is this all about?" Sasuke pressed coldly. The sooner they found out the truth, the sooner they could go look for Kakashi and Iruka.  
  
Sitting up painfully, the black-haired woman held a hand to her torso, wincing. After a few minutes, she relented her stoic silence. "My name is Kanashimi Tanjou. I was born in the Mica Village, a small farming community on the edges of Fire Country. It's very small, and the populace isn't very large, so we don't have a ninja academy or any high-ranked shinobis. We have a handful of Chuunins who protect us, but that's about it."  
  
She'd smiled faintly through the first bit of her story, but it slowly became sad, mourn replacing the picayune bit of light. "It was fifteen years ago, when I was three years old, that Mica was suddenly plagued by a child snatcher. In the night, when everyone was asleep, something would creep into town, and carry off young children and babies. They were all never seen again, gone without a trace. We hoped that perhaps it was just a kidnapper who wanted ransom..." Kanashimi sighed then, dejectedly. "However, about a month later, a body was discovered..." She winced at a gruesome memory. "It was horrible. The poor thing was all mangled, bloody, and half-eaten. Most of us thought it to be a wolf or maybe some other creature, but one of our Chuunins recognized the chakra remnants, and the bite marks. It...was the work of a demon.."  
  
"If you were so young, how did you know all this?" Sakura queried.  
  
"The Chuunin...she was my mother.." Kanashimi sniffed, running a quick hand over her eyes. "They decided to set a trap, hoping to bait it into a house, seal off the exits and have the few ninjas and some townspeople kill it." She laughed a mirthless laugh, eyes cold and devoid of light. "We should have know better than to underestimate a demon.  
  
"None of the other villagers would allow their children to be put in harm's way, so I volunteered to be the bait...my mother was against it..but she had no other choice. So that night, I feigned sleep in my bed, all the doors and windows open around me. One of the other Chuunins had lit a candle, so we'd know when it was near. We waited and waited...until it was almost dawn. They decided to give up for the time being, and started to come back into the house, and close all the windows.." Her voice cracked then, but the dark-haired woman continued regardless. "I...I remember it well because I was looking at the candle next to my bed..when..the door was shut, and suddenly...it burned blue."  
  
Shaking her long mane of night-colored tresses, her voice had an audible tremble. "It...was just instant bedlam. I-I started to scream, to warn them of the danger, but one of the Chuunins just started killing everyone! He had a sword, and...moved so much faster than the others...they didn't stand a chance...that's when I noticed, there were TWO of them."  
  
"Two of what?"  
  
"Two of the same Chuunin. It must have been awful for him, to be killed by an exact replica of himself. Before he died, I heard him shout to the others that it was a Hsien, a shapeshifting type of demon...Once he was slain, it....changed." She shook her head, as if in disbelief. "It transformed right before my very eyes! It took on the form of my own mother, and attacked her and the remaining townspeople. She was able to fend it off for a moment...but then it changed again, into a huge fox, with these awful claws..." A single tear coursed out of a black eye, glittering faintly. "She...She was mortally injured..she had to stop it from escaping...I'm not sure what she did, but as it started to come for me, mother made these strange motions with her hands, and then the room was filled with this...unearthly bright light.  
  
"I felt...this terrible pain in my stomach...it was as if I was being cut apart! And blood...there was so much blood...the demon was attacking my mom even as she tried to finish the jutsu...I passed out before I could see what happened..."  
  
A half-sob wracked her frame for a quiet few minutes, before she was able to calm herself enough to continue talking. "I-I don't know how much time passed before I woke up again...minutes, hours, days...I don't know...But when I did come to, my body ached beyond belief, especially my stomach..and the walls were just soaked in blood...the demon was gone..., but my mother and her fellow shinobi lay dead all around me..." Reaching down, she lifted the hem of her kimono, exposing her white-fleshed belly to the air. Black colored tattoos riddled the flesh, ragged and poorly placed. "It was a little later, I discovered this...the one surviving nin instantly recognized it as demon seal..but it was done wrong!" She sighed again, lowering the cloth. "H-He said that she hadn't been able to finish it..so there was a chance it could escape. He also said that since a lot of the seals were missing or only half-done...it'd destroyed and eliminated all the chakra in my body, as well as trapping the Hsien."  
  
Sasuke started. So that's why she had no trace of chakra around her.  
  
"It was so painful and-" She shook her head, starting at another part of her tale. "They say when you're young, you can heal much better, and adapt as well. With no chakra in my body, my being was unbalanced. I guess that's what allowed me to manipulate the energy no one else can...Shiro, the Chuunin, called it Rei Jutsu, a spirit-based ninjutsu. I could control an almost boundless amount..and perhaps even substitute it for chakra to enable myself to perform chakra-based jutsus. But I can't perform high-level ones, and the jutsus I can do aren't as powerful as when it's done with chakra." She waved a finger in the air, brushing invisible energy. "It's like..unseen clay that I can mold to do what I want...I guess is how I would describe it..."  
  
The Uchiha frowned. "It's dangerous to have a half-sealed demon and its holder walk around."  
  
"They DIDN'T. I was locked in a room for most of my childhood. Shiro would teach me, help me master using rei, but otherwise, I wasn't allowed outside. It was okay...I understood why the others didn't want me around the rest of them...I understood why they were afraid of me...it was atleast peaceful..  
  
But then, about seven months ago, I started having torso pains, and a lot of cramps. I thought maybe it was just sickness..." She flicked a miniscule piece of dirt off her clothes. "Whatever happened, I don't remember...the demon probably knocked me out. But when I regained conciousness, I was covered in blood, and the seal looked like this." She flicked a hand towards her belly. "It was gone, leaving half of the village slain..."  
  
Rising to her feet, she looked to the blue-eyed kitsune. "Maybe our shared beings forged a connection between myself and the demon, because I can feel its emotions, and hear some of its thoughts, even after it finally escaped..... I left that night, to hunt it down, kill it with my own hands. For some reason, I can always sense the Hsien, not too specifically, but enough to pinpoint a general location. Up close, I'd have to be within close vicinity to be certain. It can take the shape of almost anything, so it makes tracking very hard." She smiled apologetically. "That's why I attacked you...I thought you were the Hsien...I guess that'd make you Naruto Uzumaki, carrier of the Nine-Tailed Fox demon." She frowned. "That's probably why your Hokage wants to retrieve your team. The Hsien only has one goal now: to gain enough power to destroy all shinobis."  
  
The raven-haired boy narrowed his eyes. "How?"  
  
"The Hsien is a shapeshifter, meaning it can manipulate any part of it's being. While it has a true form...it's rarely seen in it. So it aims to fuse itself with another demon...and the easiest target to acquire-" All eyes suddenly darted to the blond-haired kitsune.  
  
"Is me.." 


	5. 5: Only Mine, So Stay Here

A/N: ''' oh.....I made a mistake. Luckily, Kyuubi-chan was able to catch it! (whew, thankies!) I guess we'll assume Sasuke already knows....and 'course Kakashi does as well....let's just bash Marie over the head for her forgetfulness and make it a surprise to Sakura. ; my bad... There will be a WEE bit of KakaIru action in this chappie, but nothing hardcore. Don't like? Skip from one line to the next dividing one. Fluff alert.

Ugh, ff .net will be down for a while. So I'll catch up on some writing then.

* * *

It was a myriad of reactions, all simultaneously.

The dark-haired newcomer merely nodded, almost apathetically.

A gasp from the female member of their party, shock and alarm apparent. Her eyes widened immediately, the green orbs glimmering with instant distrust.

It instilled an instinctive growl from the Uchiha, sensing the underlying fear, and worse, hatred. But a glance over to the blond-haired kitsune caused him to stop, halted by the sight of slumped orange-clad shoulders.

Slowly, he covered the distance between them and placed a hand gently on the smaller boy's shoulder. "Naruto?" Catching the smile beginning to tug at the kitsune's lips, he added in a low whisper. "Dobe. What the hell are you looking so downcast for?" The boy in question didn't reply, but met the onyx-eyes with his own blue ones, shining with gratefulness, topped off with a cheeky smile.

"It has....stopped..."

"What?" The three young shinobi turned towards the dark-haired woman, who stood gazing towards the forest with glazed-over eyes.

"The teacher it snatched...the Hsien thought it was Naruto....It didn't make sure before taking him and running.." She droned out slowly, as if sensing something the rest could not perceive.

"But why Iruka-sensei?" Sakura questioned, looking to the forest confusedly. "Why not Naruto?"

Kanashimi dismissed this question with a flick of her hand. "It tracks mainly by smell."

"And? Naruto was nearby though."

"But..." Sasuke turned to the blond. "You sensed it getting closer, right?" At his nod, the Uchiha grunted in understanding. "It probably masked its chakra and looped around then, to avoid a confrontation with Kakashi." Sasuke nodded, running a hand through black hair. "So it was behind us this entire time-"

"While we were walking back towards Konoha." Naruto picked up the story, grasping the older boy's logic. "Before it'd get to me, Sasuke, and Sakura, the demon passed by Iruka-sensei and Kakashi-sensei."

"And you hugged Iruka earlier...so it probably left your scent." Sasuke concluded.

"Move." She darted forward, leaping into the forest. "Move now! Your sensei has it trapped for the moment. We can try to catch up!"

Without a moment's hesitation, Naruto and Sasuke hurled themselves after the black-haired demon tracker, followed closely by their pink-haired teammate.

* * *

Airless.

The world had turned wet, cold, and devoid of air.

Why was it so dark?

Iruka thrashed feebly against the claws at his neck, holding, trapping him in a prison of water. Cold torrents slowly suffocating, killing him..

And suddenly, he was pulled out again, the night just as dark as the water he'd been submerged in. With the rush of blessed air, the Chuunin was able to somewhat renew his desperate struggle, as the memory of what had happened came flooding back.

That creature. It'd grabbed him, dragged him god knows how far, to bring him to a swiftly running river. Strangely, it'd looked him over for a split second before seizing the ninja by his neck and thrusting his head into the rapids.

"You...not...Fox.." Iruka's eyes tried to focus on the source of the raspy growl. The words were ill-formed, and rough, as if spoken by an untrained tongue. However, the claws tightened, and his vision swam nauseatingly.

"Where...is...fox?"

Naruto. This...thing was looking for Naruto. He was jerked out of his realization with a sharp thud, as the creature slammed him to the ground. The Chuunin gritted his teeth painfully, managing to pull himself into a crouching position. It was then that the pale beams of moonlight peeked out from behind grey clouds, dimly illuminating his captor.

A body as black as the night, covered in short, shaggy fur. Lithe and sinewy, muscles rippled with every movement, from wide-splaying footpaws to the menacingly long claws. Blood red eyes, lit with a hellish light gleamed malevolently at the shinobi, burning coldly in the darkness.

A demon.

He couldn't let this thing get to Naruto.

A hand went quickly to his shuriken holsters, at the same time as his body lurched forwards into a spring. Almost just as instantly, claws wrapped themselves around his neck again, serrated nails scratching the smooth skin cruelly. "Human..will not tell...Then die.." The clawed hands raised the Chuunin easily, lifting his body into the air.

"No!!" Kakashi arrived just in time to see the demon hurl Iruka straight into the swiftly flowing current.

Acting quickly, his shadow clones closed in on the infernal beast, dividing to move in a pincer movement. Sharp yowls and the screech of whirling metal filled the once-silent night air, shattering whatever tranquility had endured. With the demonic creature distracted, the Jounin unhesitatingly dashed down the steep ravine, following the course of waters. He could faintly see the Chuunin's form being swept along, his forehead protector glinting wetly.

As the river waters rounded a rocky bend, the current slowed enough for the silver-haired man to run alongside his target. He slowed down slightly, matching his pace with that of his quarry, seizing his opportunity at a small outcropping of stones.

Launching himself off these, the Jounin leapt in a shallow arch from the stream bank to the other side, simultaneously reaching downwards and scooping the limp form of Iruka out of the water.

* * *

It was all a dizzying blur. Tree after tree, branches and leaves, hurtling by. The three Genins trailed closely behind their black-haired guide, weaving a precarious path through the treetops.

Sasuke scowled. He couldn't sense the demon, only Kakashi's shadow clones. And from the looks of it, three was far from sufficient for taking down the shapeshifter. One by one, each were defeated, the demon victorious.

To the dark-haired boy's left, Naruto furrowed his brows, leaping onto a higher branch. "I can't detect Iruka-sensei..." He looked worriedly ahead. "I hope he's alright..."

"He is." Sasuke replied as reassuringly as he could. "Kakashi's with him, he'll be fine."

"Sure. As fine as anyone can be with that perverted bastard around." Naruto managed a faint laugh, in an attempt to alleviate the tension.

"Silence!" Kanashimi halted abruptly, crouching steadily on a thick bough. Her dark eyes scanned the terrain warily, distrust in her eyes. "I think it's coming this way..."

Looking around as well, Sasuke skimmed red-tinged eyes around their vicinity, the Sharingan insignia spinning tauntingly. He stayed discreetly close to the blond-haired kitsune, keeping at least an eye on him constantly, with weapons at ready.

Stay away from what's mine..

* * *

Warmth.

It was dazzlingly...warm.

Raising his aching head slightly, Iruka groaned at the onslaught of light on his bleary eyes. He half-shut them, waiting for his aching eyeballs to adjust.

Fire.

A fire burned cheerily in front of him, giving off a lovely glow and even lovelier warmth. He'd been laid out on a small blanket, on his side. From what he could see, he was in a cave, the high rock walls not reaching very high. Probably just tall enough for a man to squeeze into. The light from the fire reflected dully off the speckled tan and grey walls, casting shadows that elongated eerily.

Attempting to sit up, the Chuunin found himself restrained by two silvery-skinned arms curled securely around his waist. Instantly, a deep blush rushed to his cheeks. Looking over himself, the redness deepened further when realization reached him.

He'd been stripped of all his clothing, save boxers. And only a thick coarse blanket covered his otherwise nude body.

With a fearful curiosity, he turned his head slowly. Who was holding him?

Wide brown eyes met sleepy, mismatched blue and red ones.

Seeing Iruka tense and probably about to launch into a pointless panic, the Jounin tightened his grip around the smaller man, quickly explaining himself. "Shh...Calm down. That demon threw you into the river. I fished you out, found a cave, and built a fire. You were soaked to the bone, and I had to warm you up somehow...so...that's what happened." He added a cheeky grin to his explanation, but Iruka didn't see it as a result of his mask.

"B-But..." He tried to get up again, but Kakashi moved an arm up to curl possessively over the other's chest.

"You're in no shape to go anywhere yet. Rest."

"But what about Naruto? What about your team!? Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura are out there, with that woman and that demon! They're in serious danger!" When the silver-haired man's embrace did not relent, Iruka sighed, slumping backwards in resignation.

"Naruto and Sasuke are both perfectly capable of taking care of themselves, and they'll make sure Sakura fares well too." Kakashi said reassuringly. "I know what I taught them. They'll either seek refuge somewhere and then look for us when the coast is clear, or go back to the village for help. They're fine, don't worry."

The Jounin knew this was a lie. Naruto was impulsive and headstrong. Chances were, he'd convinced the rest of the team to go and attempt to track the two of them down this very moment. But Iruka didn't need to know that yet.

"B-But...that demon was looking for Naruto!" Iruka pressed on beseechingly.

Kakashi started. A demon looking for the container of another demon...That could only equate to one thing.. However, he couldn't just leave Iruka behind.

Sighing, the Jounin shifted slightly. "We'll go look for them tomorrow morning then, when you'll at least be a bit better."

"Kakashi..." Iruka leaned sadly away from the other man. "Why are you doing this...?"

"Wha?" The silver-haired ninja looked up in surprise. "What do you mean?"

"Your team is your priority.. You're risking them all by just rescuing me. You should've stayed with them and-"

It happened all so quick, the Chuunin felt his head spin. One minute, he was observing the random patterns of the rock floor. The next, warm arms had turned his body around, and lips were pressed gently up to his own.

Instinct screamed at him to move back, to hit, strike anything within range.

But...it felt so..sweet. And his lips were amazingly soft. He found his eyes drifting close, and his mind focusing only on the other man's lips.

The kiss was chaste, and lasted only a few moments, but it succeeded in rendering the brown-haired Chuunin silent, and blushing as well. He opened his eyes again as Kakashi pulled away, turning a brighter shade of red when his eyes fell upon the older man's unmasked face.

He was...perfect. The chiseled jaw line, that complimenting nose, and perfect...oh-so-perfect mouth. "I...I've never seen you without your mask on.."

Kakashi gently nuzzled the blushing shinobi's cheek. "Disappointing, hm?"

"Y-You're...beautiful though.." He flushed even deeper. Did he actually just say that? But before he could lower his ashamed face, the calloused finger tipped his chin back up, those soft lips met his once again.

Slow and tentative at first, their lip lock quickly became more fevered when Kakashi trailed a fingertip teasingly down the other's back, instilling a shy gasp. Pushing his tongue past his parted lips, the silver-haired nin slowly explored the smaller man's mouth, mapping out and memorizing the hot cavern completely.

The Chuunin moaned softly, pulling closer instinctively. He sighed in disappointment when Kakashi's mouth parted from his, but the sound quickly became another gasp when a hot tongue lapped playfully at his neck. "Kakashi..."

The silver-haired man smiled in lazy pleasure at the sound of his name on Iruka's lips, like honeyed words. He added a gentle nip to the trembling flesh, loving the way the Chuunin would exclaim his name in soft pants, breathless.

Suddenly, the smaller man pulled away, jerking around to face the other way.

"Iruka, what's wrong-"

"Achoo!!"

Kakashi laughed briefly. Of course. He'd almost forgotten. The Chuunin had just been through a watery hell. A cold, or at least a chill, was expected.

Curling possessive arms around the slightly shivering body, Kakashi cheekily snuggled up against the other's neck. "Get some sleep, Iruka-koi. I'll wake you when it's morning."

The Chuunin blushed at the new nickname, but didn't protest as tendrils of exhaustion pulled him into a dreamless, and very comfortable sleep.


	6. 6: Make it Fair

A/N: This was...a chapter that's close to my heart. Sooner or later, we all long for someone that can understand us, love us just as much as we love them. People who have loved and lost, really start to value it after a while. That's why I like the Sasuke and Naruto pairing so much. If you really think about it, read between the lines, these two share the same pains, wants, and goals. And each are so deserving of someone special, gender shouldn't be an issue! If you really, really like someone, you should value them enough to always, always try for them. Always stand up for them. But above all, if you ever find yourself able and willing to hurt someone you think is special to you, then that's not love.

For Julien, who should learn the meaning of true love.

But besides him, for my wonderful reviewers and readers. They are appreciated and have a place in every aspiring writer's heart!

FF . net will be down for a while, so that means no reviewing! But it you have questions, or concerns, you can always email me at

Thank you and here's the next chapter! Fluff alert, SasuNaru type fluff. (it may not make sense... but it was my only original idea.....)

* * *

To further agitate the tensions already running high, it started to rain.

They'd darted into a denser growth of trees, seeking out dry patches to wait out the downpour. While the Uchiha had been opposed to being ground level with a demon lurking nearby, Kanashimi had insisted the beast never attacked or moved in rain, as it despised profuse amounts of water. The up side to their predicament, she'd added, was all the water made transformation for the Hsien more difficult.

Naruto looked up from the tent-pitching task he'd been assigned. Alighted on a high limb, the dark-haired woman kept a dutiful vigil for the three Genin, on constant alert for their foe beast. Not too far away, squatting on a slightly lower bough, Sasuke was on guard as well, an apathetic, yet calm expression on his face.

Droplets of water dotted his hitei-ate, and plips of rain dripped gracefully down his night-colored hair. Slightly illuminated by pale moonlight, it made an ethereal, beautiful picture.

The kitsune blushed at the thought, looking back down to his task. As luck would have it, they still had their packs, and wouldn't have to look for a cave or some other shelter for the night. The blond's thoughts wandered to Iruka, and a worried look replaced his blush. "I hope he's alright..." He murmured, driving the last peg into the leaf-covered ground. Of course he was alright. He had Kakashi, Konohagakure's renowned copy-nin, with him. Who also happened to be a pervert... and showed an interest in the kind Chuunin... but he wouldn't... do anything... right?

"Naruto!" Sakura called. "Are you done over there?"

He nodded with a smile. "Yeah. Get some rest, Sasuke and I will take the first watch." Out of the corner of his eye, the blond caught the Uchiha's suddenly alert gaze. "We'll wake you and Kanashimi later."

As the two females disappeared into separate tents, Naruto looked back up to his remaining teammate. He'd turned forwards again, arms crossed reflectively. On an impulse, Naruto leaned down and rummaged quickly around in his pack, digging out a small towel. With the strip of cloth in hand, he leapt and made his way silently to the other boy's side.

"Here." He held out the towel at arm's length. "To dry off with."

With a nod of thanks, the dark-haired boy took the proffered item. Settling comfortably on the wide branch, the blond watched the other boy run it through his dripping hair, tousling it up in the process. The askew strands glinted wetly in the pale light, casting volute shadows over his pale skin. For that moment, the Uchiha's expression was of unguarded tranquility, and Naruto smiled.

It wasn't everyday you got to see Sasuke so composed and true.

If the world were fair, it would make time kind. And if time were kind, then it'd halt for a while, frozen in that perfect, carefree moment. But the world wasn't fair, and time unchanged and undeterred in its flow. The moment passed, with the raven-haired boy sensing his companion's stare and turning to meet it. It was then that another one of those perfect moments followed, with both boys caught unawares and neglecting to mask their emotive eyes.

Eyes like windows into their hurting, wanting souls.

Two souls that everyone else just did not understand.

One lifted and held so high he could do nothing but be there. And to just be there was never enough. Not when it was so lonely, so cold and devoid of anything right.

But the other pained as well. Pushed and pushed and just discarded in the darkest exile possible. So dark he couldn't help but want, long for something better, higher than the lowest of low. Where it was also bitterly cold, heart-achingly empty.

Sasuke felt such lonesome thoughts pain his heart, moving him to whisper quietly. "It's not fair... it's not fair at all..."

Just two amongst the rest.

Caught immovably in the extremes of a spectrum neither could escape on their own.

The kitsune was neither confused nor surprised, but nodded slowly. It was like their thoughts were allowed to join in that un-enduring moment, so that words really didn't mean that much. "I want it to be fair..." Who needed words when their eyes conveyed more that speech ever could?

But what one could not do on his own, surely two will suffice?

"We can always... make it fair..." The dark-haired boy said slowly, a light blush reaching his pale cheeks. He smiled gently when the words caused the other boy to turn red as well. "Not play by the rules..."

Surely two would make all the difference?

Naruto smiled softly, shyly. "What will... the others think?" He hesitated. This all seemed too good to be true.

Neither could have doubts. Neither could have regrets. It wouldn't work that way.

Teamwork couldn't work that way. Neither could friendship. Love was no exception.

A pale hand reached slowly, shyly up, resting its palm on a soft, warm cheek. The Uchiha ran a fingertip over the three whisker marks, the only things marring Naruto's otherwise flawless flesh. "Does it matter to you?"

The kitsune's eyes fluttered half-closed reflectively, as his face was drawn closer to the other's. "No."

Correction: Love WAS the exception. It could function pretty well under a lot of circumstances. Sometimes, it would persevere through even when some, or all, important elements were simply thrown out the window.

"Then, it doesn't matter to me either." Their noses were lightly grazing, breaths already becoming shallow with anticipation.

The older boy almost flinched when a tentative hand was placed over his own, holding it in place. However, he quickly relaxed as the other nuzzled his cheek very gently, very shyly. "You have to understand, Sasuke..." The blond added, with a tremble to his voice. "This... has to be... what you really want..."

Infatuation.

Admiration.

Adoration.

That was love. They all could be called a form of love, of affection. A piece of your heart was being offered to another. No matter how big or small, it's a piece nonetheless. Slap a label, a bright-red kiss on it, and it still can be called love.

"I know what I want, Naruto." The Uchiha gave the other's hand a reassuring squeeze.

But not true love. You may love someone dearly. But if you're not willing to give them all your heart, lay everything you are at their feet, you can't call what you have true love.

Because that's where the world gets picky. That's where only the very few and very true are allowed to go.

"And what I want...is you." Their lips met in a soft embrace, an unspoken promise for the other. Lasting for a quick eternity, it conveyed enough.

"I want what's yours. And what's mine is yours too." Their lips brushed delicately as Sasuke spoke, similar to the feel of petals upon the flesh.

With an affirming smile, he pulled the taller boy close once more. "Then, what's mine and what's yours isn't different anymore." He pressed a shy kiss to the Uchiha's cheek, then to his chin, to the corner of his lips.

But neither one really had all that much patience, and soon, their mouths met in a fiery dance, emblazoning in each other's soul their own promises, their desires. Each moan, gasp, and exclamation of the other's name was soon too entwined for its originator to be determined, not that it really mattered.

Their world narrowed down to focus solely on their soul mate before them, passionately, lovingly, memorizing every detail of their mouths, their bodies.

Above them, the moon shone wanly on the two boys, bathing their entwined bodies in an ethereal glow. So that for a bit of time, it seemed like time really had frozen save for the two lovers.

And for that bit of time, the worries of the world just didn't matter all that much anymore.


	7. 7: Groggy

A/N: Sorry for the late update! School started shortly after the posting of chapter six, and it's been an academic hell...' This is a short chapter, but I plan to type more soon! Thanks for your patience. The full version of chapter six is also available for reading, on my deviantart account. (just check my homepage!)

WARNING though; it contains a lemon. Don't like; don't read.

I do love this story dearly though, so I'll update as often as I can. You can also see the full version of this story on my DeviantArt account, should you ever want to do so; just go to my author profile and click on my homepage. (lazy people like me, it's gekkabijin. deviantart. com, just w/o the spaces.)

* * *

Sometimes, a moment just didn't last long enough. Like a really good second of your life. In fact, such good moments actually seem to last an even briefer amount of time, since it was so thoroughly enjoyed. For example, that tranquil state of being between sleeping and waking. You're no longer sleeping, but not quite awake yet. And if it's a really good moment, it'd be warm, soft, and be the end of a killer sleep. 

"Stupid morning." Naruto murmured sleepily, burying his face against the warmth next to him to shut out the too-bright morning rays. It was much to early to be awake, even if it was light out. Besides, he felt too satiated after last night to really want to do anything.

The thought brought a shy smirk to his lips.

Last night...

His grin widened when the body beside his shifted tiredly. "Hn...stop moving...." Sasuke tightened his arms around the smaller boy possessively, frowning when quiet chuckles reached his ears. "What?"

The blond leaned in close, smirking insufferably. "You look cute like this."

"Like what?"

"Sleep-tousled." He chuckled again, nuzzling the Uchiha's neck.

Hiding a smile, Sasuke pushed the smaller boy off him gently, leaning back on his arms. "Hm...if doing...last night again results in this..." He scowled at the smirking kitsune, but his eyes glittered with humor. "I better not do that again."

A pout was instantaneous on the blond's face, accompanied by the small blush. "Really?" He inched mischieveously closer. "You wouldn't do it? Even if I asked?" He rested his arms on the older boy's knees. "And said 'please'?"

A small gasp escaped the kitsune's mouth, as the other boy's lips covered his for a brief, chaste kiss. "Maybe if you beg."

The blond snorted, sitting up straight. "You wish, you bastard."

Strong arms instantly darted out, encircled the blond's waist, and pulled him up flush against the Uchiha. "Dobe." At the smaller boy's exasperated look, he crushed his mouth against the other's once more.

"Ne, Sasuke-kun, Naruto, are you up yet?"

As the tent flap started to ruffle slightly, the two pulls hurriedly pulled apart.

"U-Uhh.....wait, don't come in, Sakura-chan! I.....Sasuke's naked!" Naruto covered his mouth in glee, glancing over at the glowering Uchiha.

They listened as their teammate hesitated momentarily, then padded away quickly. "Oh....s-sorry!"

The dark-haired boy looked dubiously at his companion. "Naked, dobe?"

Scritching his head sheepishly, the blond shrugged. "Er...."

* * *

"Why are they going that way?" Iruka watched the taller man hop gracefully onto a mid-sized boulder. "Konoha's in the other direction."

The silver-haired shinobi shook his head, waving a hand forward. "I'm not quite sure. But it probably has to do with that woman we fought."

Iruka frowned in worry. "She's not holding them hostage, is she?"

Kakashi shook his head after a moment. "I think she's walking ahead of them…" He looked thoughtfully ahead for a few more moments, worry creeping into his features. He shouldn't have left them so rashly behind. His seemingly lazy gaze flitted to the Chuunin beside him, rubbing absently at a bruise on his arm.

But Iruka had been in trouble.

Sighing, Kakashi turned back to the trail before them. Well, it'd be about a day before they'd catch up to the rest of Team Seven. He'd get his thoughts sorted out by then.

Yeah. That's a plan.


	8. Sorry, Sorry, and Sorry

Insert a long string of convoluted apologies. I'm very sorry!

This story is on hiatus for the time being. Looking over it, I realized that I don't like how I'm constructed the plot, the characters, and overall, it seems rushed. I'll try to finish it sometime; but for now, I'm going to focus on another story, and finish this one when I acquire enough inspiration.

Thank you for all the reviews, and your patience!


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